Riek Machar

Riek Machar (1953-) was Vice-President of South Sudan from 9 July 2011 to 23 July 2013 with President Salva Kiir Mayardit, preceding James Wani Igga.

Biography
Riek Machar was born in 1953 in Leer, Unity State, Sudan to a Presbyterian Nuer family. From 1984 to 1991 he was a commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army during the Sudanese Civil War, but he disagreed with commander John Garang; Garang wanted a secular and democratic state of Sudan, while Machar wanted the Christian South Sudan to be independent from the Muslim north. In 2011, he became Vice-President of South Sudan upon independence with Salva Kiir Mayardit as President, but in 2013 he was accused of attempting a coup, leading to the South Sudanese Civil War. He became the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) during the war against Mayardit's government.